Italy U17 vs Slovenia U17

Detailed quarter-by-quarter scoring data was not immediately available from official sources, but the six-point final gap — after a game that never ran away from either side — suggests Slovenia's ability to execute in the closing minutes was decisive. Neither team managed more than 70 points, well below Italy's tournament average of 76.3 PPG and Slovenia's 73.3 PPG entering the game, indicating strong defensive pressure from both sides.

Specific individual box-score data was not published at the time of writing. However, the FIBA team comparison averages entering the game showed Italy with superior rebounding (41.8 RPG vs 36.5 RPG) and 2-point shooting (49.2% vs 46.2%), while Slovenia held a slight edge in assists (19.5 APG vs 17.8 APG) and free-throw percentage (60.4% vs 59.0%).

• Total points (134): The lowest combined score on the 3 July FIBA U17 slate, which featured four quarter-finals and two classification games. Both offences found it harder to score than their tournament averages suggested.
• Rebounding advantage (Italy): Italy's +5.3 RPG average edge over Slovenia did not translate into a win, suggesting Slovenia limited second-chance damage.
• Evenly matched: The 70-64 final score was the tightest margin of any game played on 3 July, backing up the pre-game expectation that these two European sides were closely matched.

Slovenia advances to the Classification 9-12 semi-finals on 4 July, where they will face the winner of the other 9-16 game between the losers of the Round of 16 matchups. Italy drops into the Classification 13-16 bracket, playing for 13th place at best.

For context, Italy entered the tournament in Group A alongside the USA (who beat them 131-80 on 30 June) and Cameroon, while Slovenia came through Group C with Puerto Rico, Türkiye and New Zealand.

Both teams' next fixtures are scheduled for 4 July 2026 in Istanbul, with specific opponents and tip-off times to be determined by the results of the other classification games.

A tight, defensive contest that Slovenia managed slightly better down the stretch. Neither team will be satisfied with falling out of the main championship bracket, but Slovenia earned the right to play for 9th place while Italy faces a battle to avoid finishing 16th. The six-point margin was a fair reflection of two evenly matched European U17 programmes.